The performance of golf equipment is continuously advancing due to the development of innovative clubs and club designs. While all clubs in a golfer's bag are important, both scratch and novice golfers rely on the performance and feel of their irons, metal-woods, hybrids, and drivers for many commonly encountered playing situations.
Advancements in golf club head manufacturing techniques have facilitated the manufacturing of golf club heads with complex geometries. For example, separately forming and attaching together a strike plate and a body, a golf club head with a complex geometry, that might not otherwise be achievable using single-piece, fully-integrated manufacturing techniques, can be produced. Additionally, a golf club head with a separately formed and attached strike plate can facilitate the use of strike plates and bodies made from different materials and/or manufacturing techniques. Generally, the strike plate is welded to the body using a peripheral weld that extends continuously around the entire outer peripheral edge of the strike plate.
Although welding the strike plate to the body promotes the ability to make golf club heads with complex geometries, different materials, and different manufacturing techniques, the weld may also introduce weaknesses to the golf club head.